Chapter 137: Crayman the Demon

"That's strange?! All of us have systems. It shouldn't be possible to miss this!" Despite my words, none of them knew what Lilith and I talked about. "Not unless this magic is just applicable for our Excaliburs only?" 

It was not a stretch if the latter option was the one that happened, since this piece of paper had ancient scriptures. The scroll didn't look like it, but there were violent arcane coursing through the air, running rampant as we spoke.

Lilith and I walked straight towards the nested document and tried opening it. But instead of reaching its place, a vacuum pulled us in as if it was a blackhole made of nothing! 

"Grab onto anything that you could find!" I shouted, and attempted to use my ability.

However, my skill never activated, together with my friends. We tried our best, but our magic never appeared at our sight. A golden ring popped up in front of us and continued sparkling like fireworks. Despite these uncanny interactions, the yellowish sparks never burnt our skin. It just continued circling infinitely without showing hints of stopping.

Before we knew it, the peculiar force hauled the five of us inside. And the next time we blink our eyes, our team arrived inside the abandoned house. 

But everything changed when we viewed our surroundings. As we glided our eyes at each angle, countless people shared some drinks on the table. And someone replaced those broken boards and chairs into something akin to a bar. Some individuals wore silver armour, while the rest had a stave symbol on their clothes. 

The Holy Light Church used the symbol of wands to spread their name. Since priests needed to have at least an arcane experience, this icon became an important figure to them. It only meant that the bishop and his people were extraordinary individuals who could manipulate elements, especially light. Hence, the name.

"Who the hell are these people?" Meliodas asked, as he prepared his harp.

But as soon as Meliodas revealed his weapon, the people inside rose from their seats. They reached out for their weapons and aimed it at our figures. We did the same and prepared ourselves for an attack. Everyone glared at each other, waiting for someone to take the first move.

But the tension immediately descended when a whistle from afar echoed in the bar. The people inside dared not to look from the sound's origin, despite ruining our battle. My team also maintained eye contact with the people surrounding us, paying no mind from the whistle.

"At ease, soldiers. These five people are my guests for today. Please leave them to me and resume your necessities."

After saying those words, these people heeded the voice. The mercenaries and priests went back to their chores and did what they do best. They didn't even bother looking at our figures, knowing that these people were in the safest hands.

I commanded my team to lower their weapons, but remained vigilant until further notice. We were still swimming in uncharted waters, unknowing what would happen next.

We finally had the luxury to know the identity of the man speaking earlier. All of us turned our heads at our back and eyed the shape marching in our direction.

The crowd made way for the eerie presence without making much out of it. If my guess would hit the nail, this person must be the leader of this turf. Nobody would listen to a person, unless that individual was managing the group. 

But much to our surprise, the one in charge had horns on each side of his head. He had a dark and crimson skin covering his body, which added some tension. The man did not have the same genes of the people surrounding us, but still remained cheerful. Despite his enigmatic presence, the devil had a charm to cure our anxieties. 

It didn't take a genius to know that there was some kind of spell involved in our surroundings. And that magic came from this demon fast approaching in our direction. Fenrir, Merleen, and Meliodas fell for the trap and got themselves charmed by the demon. The look from the devil's eyes made him hysterically laugh as soon as he arrived at my fore.

"Look at you, Arthur. I can see you have that Excalibur with you….Do you mind if I could take a look?" the demon said, as he eyed my weapon.

I didn't panic as I acted hypnotized from his charm. But upon noticing the individual behind my back, the demon walked backwards, with his jaw gaped wide open.

"You!"

WIthin one wave of Lilith's hand, she dispelled the magic surrounding the atmosphere. That magic unlocked the three people affected by the devil's magic thanks to Lilith's spell. But another magic circle emerged from Lilith's hands as she tried pursuing the demon running away. 

It was too late for the devil as the darkened hand came out from Lilith's arcane. And when the obsidian limb attached itself against the fleeing devil, we had finished the game.

The people surrounding us rose once again and aimed their weapons. It was the same scene as before.

But with the demon in our hands, these mercenaries and priests couldn't do anything to us. These people remained stiff as a statue, watching the scene unfold before us. 

"Tell your friends to fire their guns at us and we will kill you for it," I said, and walked straight at the latched devil.

"Guns?" the demon asked, but brushed off the topic. "Look, Arthur. I expected you, but not Lilith. I thought you're on your way towards our kingdom. It was a great opportunity for us to chitchat."

"Silence, you insolent fool!" Lilith roared, as she aimed those magical circles at the poor devil. "I don't know why you're here, Crayman. But I will get into the bottom of this feud, you hear me?" 

"Oh, I hear you loud and clear, princess," the devil, Crayman, replied, while shaking his head. "We could talk this out on the table with some few ales, hm?"

"This is the part where you shut your mouth and explain everything that happened!" Lilith growled at Crayman, and raised her eyebrows. "Or I will kill you without my father's consent."

Crayman just laughed at Lilith and answered, "T-That's what I'm going to do, actually. Would you mind taking a seat right next to the counter? These people would love to take a drink or two at the next minute. And, by the way, I resigned myself as a demon inside our kingdom."

"You what?" Lilith mumbled, and deactivated her spell, causing Crayman to fall on the ground. "What did you do? Did you anger my father with your crude deals?"

Crayman walked towards the bar table and served us some drinks. We all sat on the table as we listened to Crayman's defence.

"It's actually the opposite. I wanted the opposite and planned on redeeming my actions. This chaos is driving me insane. Which was why I wanted to put a stop on it with my own powers. Come now, my guest! Please seat whatever chair you want. Ah, but please take that one in the middle, Arthur. It's your throne that I left for you," Crayman explained, while glaring into our eyes.

Coincidentally, we already found our spots. And I took the seat in the middle, which was Crayman mentioned earlier. I wanted to move my seat and switch places with Meliodas, but it was already a hassle. After countless debates, I remained on my chair and stared at Crayman, who was the bartender of this place.

Within a few seconds, Crayman slid our drinks and continued his tale. "When your old man heard my redemption, he kicked me out from my position and banished me from the kingdom. And when I obeyed the majesty's decision, I went inside and a bar for myself."

I finally stepped inside the spotlight and asked a few questions for myself. "But that doesn't answer the fact that you involved the Holy Light Church and some mercenaries from different kingdoms?! And all of these people listen to what you're saying! It's as if….'

"Brainwashed? Yeah. But not really," Crayman answered, and poured a drink for himself. "You see, Arthur, these people wanted something. And I gave them their inner desires and took something away from them….Their freedom!"

"You are sick on the head, Crayman! Release them instantly before I smack your head!" Lilith warned, and snatched Crayman's clothes. 

But Crayman shook his head and replied, "I would love to, but these people won't budge. They follow me whether they like it or not, since these people gave me their permission. I told you I am not the bad guy! I just gave them what they wanted?"

"If what you're saying is correct, what did the priests from the Holy Light Church want in return? Those priests and the bishop won't accept such cheap tricks from a demon... What did you offer to them?"